Labrador Origins and Timeline	1st Dual CH-FC Banchory Bolo	Origins of the Chocolate Labrador	NFC-AFC Storm's Riptide Star	Rascal's family photo album

	Earl of Malmesbury at Heron Court had used his St. John's dog for the shooting sports in England as early as 1809.
	The second Earl of Malmesbury was born in 1778 and was the most influential person in keeping the Labrador breed alive.  He started the first kennel of Labradors. He kept his kennel well stocked until his death in 1841.
	The 5th Duke of Buccleuch (1806-1884) started his kennel in Scotland about 1835 independently from Malmesbury.  The dog was first documented under the name Labrador in 1839.  The Duke's brother, Lord John Scott also started importing the St. John's dogs from Newfoundland. A number of the dogs that the brothers imported were named Jock, Nell (1843) and Brandy.  Brandy earned his name when he was being transported across the Atlantic ocean.  He went overboard into rough water to fetch the cap of one of the crew.  It took them 2 hours before they could pick up the dog and he was so exhausted they revived him with Brandy. The earliest photograph of a Labrador Retriever was of the Duke's dog named Nell.  She was about 12 years old when this photo below was taken in 1856. Nell born 1856 Wolters indicated in his book that this is the earliest photograph of a Labrador and taken in 1867. This (St. John's) dog was part of the breeding stock for the Labrador and had white feet and a white muzzle.  This trait was noted in some other Labradors being bred in the 1800's in England.  Today the breed standard prefers no white in the coat color.  Sometimes as the present day Labrador ages you will notice that areas that gray tend to be the paws and muzzle. Perhaps a left over of the St. John's Dog?  Nell is 12 years old here Nell was owned by the Earl of Home (1799-1881)  *Photo in Richard Wolters book The Labrador Retriever Dutton, 1992 p 46
	The Labrador had so many excellent qualities that it had been used to breed into other "Retrievers".  In the late 18th and early 19th Century (before any Kennel Club registration) some breeders tried to interbreed the hunting abilities of different retrieving dogs that met their liking.  Other retrievers of the time included curly coats, flat coats and a now extinct Norfolk Retriever.  It was said that often the St. John's genes were dominant and the crosses tended to still carry the looks and personality. Eventually the separate breeds became fixed and separated in the Kennel Club registration.
	By the 1880's nearly all the true Labrador (St. John's dog) lines had died out in England. A fortuitous meeting of the third Earl of Malmesbury (at age 75) with the sixth Duke of Buccleuch (1831-1914) and twelfth Duke of Home (1834-1918) saved Labs from extinction.  Buccleuch and Home were visiting a sick Aunt and decided to participate in a waterfowl shoot on the South Coast. There the two men were impressed by what Malmesbury's dogs were capable of doing.  These were the same bloodlines as their father's kennels.  Malmesbury reported that he had keep the blood lines pure as he could with the imported dogs from Newfoundland.   Malmesbury gave them some of his dogs to carry on the breeding program.  The dogs were Ned (born 1882) and Avon (born 1885).  Many say that these two dogs are the ancestor of all British Labs. Buccleuch Avon is said to have sired 'liver-coloured' pups. This would be the ancestor of most American Field Champion chocolate line or chocolate gene carriers line.                                                     Bucceleuch Avon born 1885
	In 1892 two 'liver color' Labradors were born at Buccleuch's kennel. (Richard Wolters, The Labrador Retriever)
	In 1899 the first recorded yellow Labrador was born at the kennel of Major C.J. Radclyffe and named Ben of Hyde.
	In Newfoundland the St. John's dog eventually became extinct.  The reasons seem to be political.  In 1780 the Governor wanted to encourage sheep raising and to stop any menace to sheep he ordered that there could be no more than one dog for a family.  The St. John's dog were native to Newfoundland and so all but the ones that had been exported to England were vulnerable to this order. This action had a great impact on St. John's dogs since they were not wide spread and now their numbers were being discouraged in their homeland.  Later, in 1885 another measure was taken by the legislature to encourage sheep breeding.  A heavy license was imposed on dogs.  There was a higher tax rate on females than males which lead to many female pups being destroyed at birth.  Couple this with the English passing the British Quarantine Act and it made importation next to impossible.  The Quarantine Act on 1895 prohibited dogs from entering Great Britain without a license and without first undergoing a strict six-month quarantine. Britain did not have the disease of Rabies native to their island and they did not want to have it introduced. By the 1930's the St. John's dog was rare in Newfoundland.  The 6th Duke of Buccleuch was finally able to import a few more dogs between 1933-1934 to continue the line. Interestingly enough, sheep raising never became a mainstay of Newfoundland but the extinction of the St. John's dog did come to pass.

*Photo in Richard Wolters book The Labrador Retriever Dutton, 1992 p. 53

To the left are two of the last St. John's dogs in Newfoundland.  Author Richard Wolters indicated in his book The Labrador Retriever that these two males survived extinction because they were in a very remote area.  There were no female dogs left to breed to, so these appear to have been the last two original St. John's dogs.  Wolters' book was published in 1981 and at that time Lassie (on the right) was 13 years old and his brother (left) was 15 years old. Note these dogs also have the white toes and muzzle like the early Labradors in England.  This trait appears to have been bred out of the dogs since the only white markings AKC  allows at this time is perhaps a small white spot on the chest.  Sometimes one will find some white hairs on the toes or foot pads still today. That likely traces to the original dogs.

+More photos an history in Richard Wolter's book The Labrador Retriever, The History...The People...Revisited,  Dutton Books, 1981, 1992 ISBN 0-525-93360.-3

 

In 1903 the Labrador Retriever was popular enough to be recognized by the Kennel Club in England.

1916 the Labrador Club was formed in England with support from Lord Knutsford (Munden Kennel line) and Lady Lorna, Countess Howe (Banchory Labradors).  Some chocolate labs are said to trace back to FC Banchory Night Light from the Banchory Kennel. He was a black dog born in 1932 in England. Night Light comes from the line of Dual Ch. Banchory Bolo (1915) who appears to be a carrier of the chocolate gene from Buccleuch Avon.  Banchory Bolo was also known for carrying a trait of white hairs under the feet (Bolo pads).

English CH Banchory Bolo 1915-1927 - *Photo in Richard Wolters book The Labrador Retriever Dutton, 1992 p 64

 

In the late 1930's Chocolate Labradors were known to be at two kennels: Tibshelfs & Cookridge.  Tibshef's dogs were: Tibshelf Bronze (< 1954). Tibshelfs Choc (< 1964), Tibshelfs Chocolate Simba (< 1972), Tibshelfs Coco (< 1958), Tibshelf's Hibbert (< 1966), Tibshelfs. Hibchic (< 1968), Tibshelfs Ochre (< 1968) and Tibshelfs Sultan (< 1966).    Cookridge's chocolates were:  Bronze Adam of Cookridge (< 1950), Cookridge Cola (< 1959), Cookridge Joss (< 1976), Cookridge Khan of Owlcroft (< 1975), Cookridge Kim (< 1966), Cookridge. Olga (< 1960), Cookridge Oscar (< 1960) and Cookridge. Tango (1961).  (Some of these lines connect down to NFC-AFC Storm's Riptide Star from Buccleuch Avon and Banchory Bolo)

LABRADORS IN AMERICA

In the later part of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the American Sportsman used setters and pointers to hunt large areas and heavy cover. The driven bird shoots of Britain were unusual situations for Americans. The British driven shoots included walking at heel, marking game down and to track and retrieve it. The British style of hunting was different than the American hunter. The American terrain, size of the hunting areas, cover, different types of land called for a different more demanding kind of dog work. Americans liked to use Springer Spaniels as game finders for upland work.  The Chesapeake Bay Retrievers had been developed as water retrieving dogs and recognized by the AKC in 1878.  Americans began taking an interest once they realized Labradors were as good as Springer Spaniels for putting up game and as good as a Chesapeake as a water dog - some say better because its coat does not tend to ice up and it repels water well.  This dog had the combined skills of two other popular sporting dogs in America making it a very versatile all around sporting dog plus it had an excellent disposition.  The breed became popular in America during the 'roaring twenties' and increased after the end of WWII.
 

	While the first Labrador was registered in the AKC in 1917 there were still only 23 Labradors registered in 1927.  It wasn't until after a 1928 AKC article in the magazine American Kennel Gazette called "Meet the Labrador Retriever" that they became more well known.
	In 1929 a dog named Kinclaven Lowesby was the first yellow Labrador registered in the AKC stud book.  He was an imported son of FC Hayler's Defender and registered as the color 'golden'.
	In 1931 the Labrador Retriever Club was formed in the United States and the first American field trial for Labs held at the Glenmere Court Estate in Chester, NY.
	In 1932 the first 'liver colored' Labrador was registered by the AKC.  The dog's name was Diver of Chiltonfoliat who was heavily linebred from a dog called Borris de main.  Borris de Main was a yellow bitch born in 1920 that seemed to carry the chocolate gene.  Color was a descriptive category at one time and you could write in the markings.  Today you can only select Black, Yellow or Chocolate for Labradors.
	In 1933 Ming was born in England.  He was exported to America and he became the first yellow American Field Champion.
	In 1938 the first picture of a dog appeared on the cover of Life Magazine. The dog was a black Lab called 'Blind of Arden'.  He was the 4 year old dog of W. Averell Harriman and had won the top US Retriever stake that year.
	In 1940 the first clearly American bred chocolate Labrador was registered in the AKC as Kennoway's Fudge. This dog was a line breeding of the English dog FC Banchory Night Light descended from Buccleuch Avon.
	In 1941 the National Retriever Club was established in the United States.
	Throughout the Post WWII era the popularity of Labradors grew to all of the population in the United States.
	In 1991 Storm's Riptide Star was born.  He became the first chocolate Labrador to earn the American National Field Championship title with his win in 1996.  NFC-AFC Storm's Riptide Star's pedigree also extends back to Buccleuch Avon born in 1885.
	In 1991 the Labrador Retriever also took first place as the most popular dog registered by the AKC.  Into the 2000's (including number one in 2003) the dog continues to be among the most popular pets due to its great disposition and versatility.  They are devoted family members as well as excellent hunting companions. They are good with children, tend to enjoy the company of other dogs, they are even used as guide dogs, police dogs for sniffing out drugs and search and rescue dogs. The hunting season tends to be rather short, and so the Labrador's most popular job nowadays seems to be sitting on a family couch or in front of the television.

Labrador Origins and Timeline	1st Dual CH-FC Banchory Bolo	Origins of the Chocolate Labrador	NFC-AFC Storm's Riptide Star	Rascal's family photo album